Filming is more fun in the Philippines (List of Foreign Films Shot in the Philippines)

Since many people’s attention are glued in the ongoing drama of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s Impeachment trial, I thought of making side steps and taking the spotlight into a much lighter yet still entertaining topic.

We all know that Bourne Legacy has just finished filming in the country. Present here were its lead stars Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz. This only proved that our country is a great filming location that Hollywood film makers are coming here to shoot their masterpiece. Who would not be proud knowing that in so many countries they’ve chosen our country to film their movies and it means a lot, especially that our government is aggressive in its efforts and campaigns to increase our tourist arrivals.

But Bourne Legacy is just one of the films shot here. There are already numbers of international films shot and taken in the country.

Here is the list of other movies that was shot here in the country:

1. The Real Glory (1939) – Written by Jo Swelling and Robert Presnell Sr. from the novel of Charles L. Clifford and Directed by Henry Hathaway. It tells the story of American soldiers who are delegated to train rural men in southern Philippines in defending themselves against Muslim radicals. It starred Gary Cooper, David Niven, and Andrea Leeds.

2. Back to Bataan (1945) – Written by Ben Barzman, Richard Landau, Aeneas MacKenzie and William Gordon and directed by Edward Dmytryk. The film tackled US war against Japanese occupation in the Philippines during the World War II. It starred John Wayne, Anthony Quinn and Beulah Bondi.

3. Too Late the Hero (1970) – A story of a reluctant hero Lt. Sam Lawson, who is commissioned to a British unit and tasked to destroy a Japanese radio in the Philippines. Written by Robert Aldrich, Lukas Heller and Robert Sherman and Directed by Robert Aldrich. It starred Michael Cain, Cliff Robertson, and Ian Bannen.

4. The Big Doll House (1971) – It tells about the story of women prisoner in the Philippines who after undergoing sadistic torture plotted an escape. Starring Roberta Collins, Pam Gier, and Judith brown, the film was Written by Don Spencer and Directed by Jack Hill.

5. Black Mama, White Mama (1972) – A story of 2 female prisoner who can’t seem to get along. being chained together, they stumble, stab and cat-fight their way to the wilderness. Directed by Eddie Romero from the story and screenplay of H.R. Christian, Joe Viola and Jonathan Demme, it starred Pam Gier, Margaret Markoy and Sig Haig.

6. The Thirsty Dead (1974) – A story of a death cult who kidnapped girls off the streets of Manila to feed from their bloods to remain immortal. Starring Jennifer Billingsley, Judith McConnell and John Considine. From the Direction of Terry Becker and story by Terry Becker, Charles Dennis and Lou Whitehill.

7. The Boys in Company C (1978) – A war story that tells the lives of 5 marines in their boot camp training in Vietnam. Directed by Sidney J. Furie and Written by Stan Shaw, Andrew Stevens and James Canning, the cast includes Stan Shaw, Andrew Stevens, James Canning and Michael Lembeck.

8. Apocalypse Now (1979) – A masterpiece of Francis Ford Coppola from the creative writing of John Millus, Francis Ford Coppola, Joseph Conrad and Micahel Herr. The film tackled the story of Captain Willard who was sent to Cambodia to assasinate a green beret renegade who acted as God of a local tribe. Starring Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Robert Duvall.

9. Enter the Ninja (1981) – It tells the story of an army veteran who after being trained in Ninja School went to the Philippines to fight a land grabber of his friend’s property. Directed by Menahem Golan and Written by Dick Desmond and Mike Stone, it starred Franco Nero, Susan George and Sho Kosugi.

10. The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) – A story of an Australian reporter who was caught in the center of political turmoil of Indonesia during the rule of President Sukarno. Starring Academy Award winner Mel Gibson with Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hunt from the direction of Peter Weir and screenplay by C.J Koch, Peter Weir and David Williamson.

11. An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) – A story of a young brat Naval Aviation student trained under a strict GySgt who eventually met Paula who became her girlfriend. Starring seasoned actor Richard Gere with Debra Winger and David Keith, the film was directed by Taylor Hackford and written by Douglas Day Stewart.

12. Missing in Action (1984) – A story of an American soldier who escaped from Vietnamese POW camp and was tasked by the American gov’t to investigate and prove that sevaral MIA’s are still alive and held captive in that Vietnamese POW camp. Written by Arthur Silver, Larry Levinson, Steve Bling, James Burner, John Crowther and Lance Hool from the direction of Joesph Zito starring Chuck Norris, M. Emmet Walsh and David Tress.

13. American Ninja (1985) – Directed by Sam Firstenberg from creative writings of Paul De Mielche, Avi Kleinberger, Gideon Amir and James Silke. The films depicts a American soldier skilled in martial arts who takes on mercenaries in the Philippines. It starred Michael Dudikoff, Steve James and Judie Aronson.

14. Platoon (1986) – An Oscar winning film by Oliver Stone (writer/director) about a young American recruit in Vietnam war who eventually suffered psychological meltdown brought by the horrors of war and conflicts with his own platoon. Starring Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe.

15. Hamburger Hill (1987) -Another Vietnam war epic, it depicts the brutal and realistic interpretation of what transpired in the US-Vietnam war in the 60’s. Directed by John Irvin and written by James Carabastos, the film starred Anthony Barrile, Michael Boatman and don Cheadle.

16. Born on the Fourth of July (1989) – It’s a bio-pic of Ron Kovic who after being paralyzed from the Vietnam war became an anti-war and human rights activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for. Another award winning film by Oliver Stone, written by Ron Kovic and Oliver Stone. It starred Tom Cruise, Raymond J. Barry and Caroline Kaya.

17. Delta Force 2. The Columbian Connection (1990) – Another Chuck Norris film, which tells the story of a rescue mission of hostages by a drug exporter. Also starring in the movie are John P. ryan and Billy Drago. From the direction of Aaron Norris and written by James Bruner, Menahem Golan and Lee Reynolds.

18. DNA (1997) – A story of scientists who thru extracting DNA and enzymes have created a monster and wants to sell it as a war machine. Starring Mark Dacascos, Jurgen Prochow and Robin McKee.The film was directed by William Mesa and written by Nick Davis.

19. Noriega: God’s Favorite (1998) – The story of Manuel Antonio Noriega, a military general in Panama who proclaimed himself as God’s favorite because of many lucks he experienced. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode and written by Lawrence Wright, it starred Bob Hoskins, Jeffrey DeMunn and Rosa Blasi.

20. Kiss the Sky (1998) – Tells the story of 2 businessmen who came to the Philippines and found themselves wandering into alcoholic and drug related living. Starring William Petersen, Gary Cole and Sheryl Lee, the film was under the direction of Roger Young and written by Eric Lerner.

21. Knock Off (1998) – A Van Damme film about a fashion designer in Hong Kong who became a CIA agent and joined moves to fight terrorism. Directed by Hark Tsui and written by Steven de Souza. Co stars are Rob Schneider and Lela Rochon.

22. Brokedown Palace (1999) – A story of 2 girl bestfriends who were busted for drug smuggling. Starring Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale and Bill Pullman, from the direction of Jonathan Kaplan and written by Adam Fields, David Arata,

23. Man on the Moon (1999) – Starring the funny man Jim Carrey. From the direction of Milos Foreman and written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karasewzki. It tells the story of Andy Kaufman, an eccentric, avant-garde comedian. Also starring are Danny DeVito and Gerry Becker.

24. Thirteen Days (2000) – Starring Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood and Shawn Driscoll. The story is about the US struggle over missile crisis in Cuba. Directed by Roger Donaldson with writers David Self, Ernest R. May & Philip D. Zelikow.

25. Music Within (2007) – A True Story about Richard Pimentel, a brilliant Public Speaker with troubled past, who returns from Vietnam with hearing-impairement and work for the benefits of Americans with disabilities. Starring Ron Livingston, Melissa George and Michael Sheen. From the Direction of Steven Sawalich. Writers Bret McKinney, Mark Andrew Olsen, and Kelly Kennemer.

26. Romantic Island (2008) – A story of 3 Korean couple who travel separately to the Philippines. Directed by Kang Cheol-woo and written by Jeong-sub Lee. It starred Seon-gyun Lee, Soo-kyung Lee and Min-ki Lee.

27. I Come with the Rain (2009) – Starring Josh Hartnett, Tran Nu Yên-Khê and Byung-hun Lee. Directed by Anh Hung Tran and written by Anh Hung Tran. A story of an ex-US cop who turned to be a private eye in search of the missing billionaire’s son.

28. The Hunt for Eagle One (2006) – Directed by Brian Clyde and written by Michael Henry Carter, Michael Henry Carter.Starring Mark Dacascos, Theresa Randle and Rutger Hauer. Tells the story of a group of US Marines who are sent to rescue a captured US Marine and a Filipino Captain while stopping a group of Al-Qaeda-backed local rebels from launching biological weapons.

29. Mammoth (2009) – A story of a successful couple (a businessman and a surgeon) and their relationship with their Filipina maid. Written and Directed by Lukas Moodysson. It starred Gael García Bernal, Michelle Williams and Marife Necesito.

30. Subject : I Love You (2010) – Starring Briana Evigan, Jericho Rosales and Dean Cain. Written and directed by Francis dela Torre. It is an action-drama flick based on the I Love You virus.

31. Deep Gold (2011) – Directed by Michael Gleissner. Written by Michael Gleissner, Frederick Bailey and Karl Wallace.Starring Bebe Pham, Jaymee Ong and Michael Gleissner. A story about a free diver Amy Sanchez who went our her way to find out the mysterious vanishing of his boyfriend.